Wednesday, June 22, 2016

DIY Vintage Iced Coffee Sign

It was simple to create and goes well with our little chairs and table.

I'm sure it's pretty obvious if you've been to this blog before, but I love to make vintage-y signs. I don't use them all at the same time...they're kind of in a rotation of sorts. But, this one is perfection for summer-summer-summertime. And it's fabulous since we do serve iced coffee around these parts, y'all. Check out the tutorial below.

It's been in the high 90s here lately...it's getting brutal. I love to enjoy my morning coffee on our patio every morning (we have stellar bird watching in our yard...we're becoming bird nerds). But when it's 97, sipping a hot cup of joe on the patio just doesn't cut it. It's definitely iced coffee season.

This is actually an old sign that got a makeover. But, here is how I put it together. Three 1x6 boards (it was one board, cut into three pieces) are held together with two 1x2s and screws. One of the 1x2 pieces serves as the ledge I hang it on, too (off of a simple screw in the brick's mortar).

I painted the entire thing with white chalk paint and let it completely dry (the white will be the color of the lettering in the end). Then I added my vinyl lettering (I cut mine on a vinyl machine, but you can purchase vinyl letters at any craft store). After my vinyl was down on the boards, I used more chalk paint to seal the lettering (I brush against the edges of the vinyl to make sure there is no bleeding when the next layer of paint goes on).

To make the next layer of paint adhere a bit less (to make it look more aged), I use a wax puck and rub it along the edges (where a natural wear pattern would be). You can get a similar effect with a wax candle stick rubbed on the wood, too.

I paint over the entire piece with the main color (I also used chalk paint).

While you can definitely leave it at this stage (just peel off the vinyl lettering to reveal all of the words), I like to age the piece with a medium-grit sandpaper. I think sanding and aging kind of softens a piece. The paint comes off the edges easily since the wax was used.

After sanding, I deepen the piece (and seal it) with wax. I use both dark and natural-colored waxes, alternating. Usually, I just use dark wax, but since I wanted a light, summery feel, I mixed in the natural colored wax, too.

I'm really happy with how it looks on the brick work outside.Since I sealed it well, it should be just fine in the weather...it's also under an overhang.

And don't forget the main thing, y'all...the ICED COFFEE! This Mocha International Delight Iced Coffee is the perfect way to celebrate summer. And sitting here in my "summer morning spot" makes it even better.

The International Delight Mocha is our favorite right now...but we also love the Vanilla and Caramel Macchiato flavors, too.

What a fantastic sign. The color you chose is lovely! We'd love to have you share this at our weekly link party. http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2016/06/farmers-market-meals-and-little-bird.html Hope to see you there!

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